Hands-on-learning At It's Best

There are so many ways to learn, but the best is hands-on learning.  Don't we all enjoy learning about what interests us?  Well, yesterday we took off for a full day of hands-on learning, provided by the fascinating Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, Texas.

My teenager loves this time in history and the Festival provided a great, "non-offensive" day of learning to all educational venues.  We were drawn back in time from the moment we stepped out of the car.  Colorful, period-clothed characters greeted us in front of the massive drawbridge entry.

Our first educational moment was hearing a Knight explain his armor.  Each piece was discussed, passed around to experience the feel and weight, then put on the Knight.  The role of a page was explained in detail of their importance to the Knight.  We learned where the word "guns" came from for your biceps.

The jousting event brought the use of this armor into reality.  The horses were so big, the Knights had to use stools to mount them....all the children were silent and attentive as the Knights showed off their skills.  My four-year-old was captivated and my teenager became even more interested in the swords that were used and how they were made.

My four-year-old had to try capturing the ring from the dragon...he has the heart of a "Modern Day Knight".  As one entertainer explained, "I will only perform in Texas on Student Days because the youth in Texas still have manners."  What a compliment, but also a reminder to stop and teach our youth good manners.

A great learning day was had by all.  Our only mishap was my middle-aged, foggy brain, misplacing the keys to our car.  After an hour of panic, my husband was coming to rescue the damsel in distress when we located the keys...still attached to the truck of my car, left there by my distracted 14-year-old.  Between teenage forgetfulness and middle-age fog...oh my, the keys had been left with the car.  God faithfully watched our day...no one stole my car or any of our possessions, and we were able return home without many scars.

The best way to learn anything is......"hands-on".........what a wonderful "hands-on" day.  What is your best "hands-on learning"?

The Bridge Builder

The Bridge Builder - Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,

"You are wasting strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide— 

Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:

"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,

"There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."¹

I posted this in honor of poetry month and also because it is one of my favorite poems, which continues to teach me lessons.


During the younger years of my first four children, I would post poems, verses and quotes on their bathroom mirrors.  I would encase them in mylar and rotate them through the different bathrooms.  My hope was they would read them while dressing...teen years brought a lot of time in front of the mirror.


Did it work?  Well, only time will tell if my efforts will bring forth good fruit or not. Maybe the words will come back in due season for each of my adult children.


I hope my gray head has built and is still building bridges for others to one day pass through.  We have the choice to build or tear down. I pray that I have built more than I have torn down.  My hope is founded in the Ultimate Bridge Builder, Jesus Christ.


What is your favorite poem?

Curl-Up-and-Read Books

I entered the world of picture books through home schooling my children.  They became a passion for me.  Purchasing treasures we had discovered through library loans, I started my home library.  I began with collecting them for my children and then rapidly moved to collecting for my future grandchildren.  Many good books go out of print so I wanted to make sure I had a copy.

I also go to library sales and snatch up wonderful picture books for pennies-on-the-dollar.  This is a wonderful way to build your home library.  You can sign up online for book sales and they will send you a list of which libraries are selling their books and when.  Some will sell books by the bag full.  You can't go wrong. If you impulse buy, then resell them or give them away.

One thing I enjoy doing is putting the date we bought the book inside the back cover.  I also put the date when we first read it and, if it an individual read, I put their child's name.  The younger siblings have enjoyed seeing that their older siblings read the same book years before them.

Here is the first of my favorites.

Patricia Polacco - This is an author for family heritage.  She is one of my favorite authors, as well as illustrators.  She brings her rich Jewish heritage of family into your home.  Other then a few of her more recent books, I agree and love her work.  She has began putting out some politically correct books.

She came to Barnes and Nobles, where two of my children and I stood in line for four hours to meet her and have her sign our books.  She was as charming in person as she is in her writings.

We started with "The Bee Hunt" where she introduces your child to the love of reading.

These are wonderful curl-up-on-the-couch books that enjoy peaking into someone else's family of treasures.

What are some of your favorite picture books?  I always love discovering a new favorite.